Kaiser Chiefs

Kaiser Chiefs demand your attention. On taking the stage, spasmodically lunging frontman Ricky Wilson asks the packed crowd for “a big round of applause for The Kaiser Chiefs!” He gets it of course, the noise not stopping until the lights go up some forty minutes later. From the first chord, till the final yelp, the quality of The ‘Chiefs songs are undeniable. Unlike Franz Ferdinand’s tiring tentativeness, this band of affable journeymen pack their tunes with enough volume, groove and unashamed psychosis, Mr. Kapranos et al better take note, stop shining their clogs and come up with some new ideas.

Like a man reaching for a handhold whilst falling into the void, Wilson's vocal delivery is as precise and powerful and his movements are chaotic and possessed. Tumbling through chasm after chasm of melodic invention and rhythmic pulsing, he sings to the audience with a flippant rage that is a consistent focal point for the band’s skewed sounds. With the rhythm section providing the strength, the keys/blips adding the necessary misshapen quirks, and the gorgeous resonating guitar licks dressing the changes, the Leeds five-piece have stumbled upon a combination that works very, very well indeed. Forthcoming new single ‘I Predict A Riot’ (coming out on their new home of B-Unique) has the sort of chorus most should bands should strive for: catchy, demolishing and inciting. Former single ‘Oh My God’ (originally released on some label somewhere which we don’t know anything about) is an instant crowd-pleaser and is played with enough craze and sung with enough bile to make the Barfly bounce. ‘Saturday Night’ is a party tune just waiting to be unleashed and ‘Born to Be Your Dancer’ will be on the next Tarantino soundtrack. With two new songs sliding into the rest of Kaiser’s set with standout style and panache, and a new deal with B-Unique now inked, tonight’s gig is a sweating triumph from start to finish. Hallelujah.

Photo: Tori Handsley - torihands@yahoo.co.uk